NFL Films Interns Top 15 Teams Week 10 Edition

Four weeks ago, who would have pegged this team as a serious threat to the Saints for the division title?

We’re past the midway point of the NFL regular season, and with the postseason looming, now is when the true contenders separate themselves from the pack and make their playoff push. Who will slip their way into a coveted Wild Card spot? Which team will snag that much-needed first-round bye? Whose stadiums will the rest of the respective conferences have to go through if they want to make it to the Big Apple?

We don’t know. Sorry about that – but we interns do have opinions on who the best teams are in the League going into Week 10. The biggest leap this week: the Patriots, from #8 to #6, after their impressive victory against the Steelers.

Here are the interns that contributed to the pool this week:

Kevin Joyce, Producers Department, “Inside the NFL”

Tim Yingling, Producers Department

Ryan Boepple, Producers Department, “Thursday Night Football”

Kyle Toot, Producers Department, “NFL Turning Point”

Here are the Top 15 Teams in the NFL as we see them right now:

Kansas City Chiefs (9-0) Kansas City matches their franchise best start to a season. They head into their bye week before their titanic clash with Denver. (Yingling)

Denver Broncos (7-1) They should come out of the bye week healthy and galloping at an impressive pace. (Toot)

Seattle Seahawks (8-1) Love the way Seattle battled back from a 21-0 deficit without one of their big playmakers in Rice. (Toot)

Indianapolis Colts (6-2) They’ve beaten some very good teams along the way to a 6-2 mark at their halfway point. Now that they’ve passed the toughest part of their schedule with flying colors, the sky’s the limit for Luck and what has undoubtedly become his group. (Joyce)

San Francisco 49ers (6-2) After starting the season 1-2, the Niners have reeled off five straight wins. That puts San Francisco in position for the first Wild Card spot as the playoff picture begins to take shape. (Yingling)

New England Patriots (7-2) That dominant offense of old emerged last week, unleashing 55 points and over 600 yards of offense on the Steelers. They’re one of only five teams in the League to have both a top-10 scoring offense and defense. (Joyce)

New Orleans Saints (6-2) A tough loss to a good team doesn’t mean there’s anything to worry about in New Orleans. This team still has as good a shot as anybody to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. (Joyce)

Cincinnati Bengals (6-3) Cincinnati loses the heart of their defense, as Geno Atkins will miss the remainder of the season with an ACL tear. However, it’s a team game, and this team has the talent and depth to overcome it. (Yingling)

Carolina Panthers (5-3) Carolina is quietly stacking up victories. They now sit one game behind the Saints for the division lead. (Yingling)

Detroit Lions (5-3) After two weeks of rest, the Lions will look to continue their (now even stronger) bid for the NFC North title against the rival Bears. (Joyce)

New York Jets (5-4) Two statement wins in the last three weeks over the #6 and #7 teams in these rankings puts the Jets in serious running for a Wild Card spot, somewhere almost no one thought they would be come this time of year. (Joyce)

Dallas Cowboys (5-4) Despite all the ups and downs the Cowboys have gone through this year, they maintain a solid lead in the division. (Joyce)

Chicago Bears (5-3) Josh McCown kept the ship afloat in Chicago. Now it’s time for the return of Capt. Cutler, who will look to chart a course for the division title. (Yingling)

Green Bay Packers (5-3) The loss of Rodgers is tough, there’s no way around it. But a favorable schedule and the faith the Packers have in Seneca Wallace and his backup, Scott Tolzien, should provide the Green Bay fanbase with the knowledge that this team’s shot at a championship is still very much alive. (Joyce)

Cleveland Browns (4-5) The Browns have been in every game they’ve played, win or loss. This is a talented and scrappy squad, one still only 2 games back in the division, behind a team they’ve already beaten. (Joyce)